1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bioremediation of contaminants, such as oil.
2. Background of the Related Art
Despite governmental regulations and industrial efforts, oil spills of great magnitude can occur as a result of an accident or failure of one or more safety systems. The vast demand for petroleum products has been met by increased shipments of oil in ocean going tankers, barge traffic and the like, as well as a continuing array of new technology. However, equipment malfunctions and/or human error would suggest that there will occasionally be an oil spill. Unfortunately, without adequate clean up technology, the environment can suffer devastating damage.
Much of the effort to cleanup such spills has centered on mechanical methods to contain and remove the spilled oil and to clean oil contaminated areas. However, these methods are not entirely satisfactory because much of the oil either cannot be contained or escapes containment. For example, the use of oil-absorbing booms have a limited capacity for absorbing oil and water waves can carry oil right over the top of the boom. Even when contained, mechanical removal is at best only partial.
On open waters, oil can sometimes be burned off. Such burning may require further use of special booms pulled by boats to gather a critical amount of oil into one place where it can be burned effectively. However, such techniques require smooth water conditions and the burning itself can produce harmful emissions.
Although mechanical methods and burning may be inferior under the best of conditions, these techniques are completely unacceptable for dealing with oil that has already entered into a sensitive ecosystem. For example, marshlands would be destroyed by either of these techniques.
Bioremediation presents an alternative that utilizes natural environmental biology for dealing with the oil. In particular, naturally occurring microorganisms that exist in the vicinity of an oil spill are typically capable of using the oil for their own growth. It is a distinct advantage that these biological processes can occur without wholesale disturbances to the ecology. Unfortunately, natural biological processes can take time. Where the oil spill overwhelms an ecosystem, the oil may damage or kill many plants and animals before the natural biological processes can get rid of the oil.